Update DFS and Live Poker

- I'd normally never suggest that a person quit their job, but like you said, your situation is unique and you've got a lot of good things going for you that eliminate long term risk. I'd say if you were ever going to try something like this, now is the time, rather than later. You can figure out early in your post-college life if its going to be for you or not. Just always think about your long term future though - if you can see this lifestyle for yourself long term. There are many pros and cons, depending on how long you live off those two sources of income, and depending on what you want in your life.

- I imagine that the variance in DFS is much less than poker, I personally believe there is less luck/more skill involved. That being said, there is still risk. I don't want to venture a guess on the numbers.

Obviously I am no expert, these are just opinions with little evidence to back it up other than the fact that I have played poker a long time, have been through a situation like you are in, and I have learned a lot about DFS.

What part of the country do you live in, if you don't mind me asking?

Well the only thing I'm certain of is that I don't want to be the guy that works for 40 years and never takes a risk. I'm not sure how the long term future of DFS looks, I do think it's pretty bright for the next ~5 years though. I would love the opinion of someone not totally into it like I am, but I see this as the "Party Poker" days that I always hear about. I think it will continue to grow for the next few years and I'm in a good position to take advantage of it.

I'm originally from Michigan, got a job in Columbus Ohio. Pretty cheap cost of living. I would consider moving somewhere with better options for live poker if I were to go through with this though.

You are on a very good track by spending 1/3 of your income. Remember savings compound over time, being a nit in life is great as a young person. Once you hit 20 something you see everyone is broke but you ;P.

Haha ya, my entire family is big time nits. I had a basketball scholarship for college which obviously helped out a lot.

Forgot to mention, I should also be getting a check for ~14k from Full Tilt which will help out a lot.

PM'd you

as a computer engineer you should know what technology is going to do to the 2 sources of income you have. within the next 5-10 years both poker and DFS will likely be close to solved by advanced bots/models and the money online will be gone. after that, the money in live poker will last a little longer but eventually go as well. striking while the iron is hot is a good idea, but everyone needs a backup plan for down the road

On my phone so this will be brief. I totally agree with you that DFS may be solved sooner rather than later. I feel I have a few years to make really good money right now though. I am working on developing a math model as well. I would be viewing this as a way to buy myself freedom for a number of years before finding something else to focus on. Thanks for all the feedback.

I think your mental approach to this idea is a little off. Don't think in terms of "could I live off of the income from DFS and poker?" Instead, try approaching it like this:

"By giving up an engineering job, what am I getting in return? By giving up 75k a year, what do I gain in return which will help me reach my long-term goals?"

By quitting your job, you might get some intangibles like a more flexible schedule, you can work less hours, etc. Are these things alone worth it? Think critically.

For example, if you quit your job, you are giving up $75k a year, but you are gaining about 40 hours a week to spend as you choose. Do you have a plan for spending those 40 hours a week that will bring you more happiness/$/whatever-you-seek than the engineering job? I don't think an additional 40 hours a week is all that useful for DFS, but maybe it could boost your poker earnings by a lot. If all you do with those extra 40 hours is maybe play 15 more hrs of poker a week and then fuck around for 25 hrs, it's not worth it. We're too young to be lazy right now. If you really want to be lazy, I would work the eng job for a few more years and treat DFS/poker like an aggressive investment (like trading on the side or something), which you can then put into something you really like (like your own business or something).

And this is coming from a person who grinds on the side because I need the extra hours in the day to work on my book. My goal is to make DFS a larger part of my income; the hours I gain will be used for my novel writing. I also do lot of freelance writing to pay the bills.

If you have a mission/passion in life, be it art or some other skill, then the extra hours may be worth it.

Out of self interest, I'd tell you to move to vegas because you seem like a solid, smart guy to have in one's life orbit.